Waiting for Superman
by AlexisandBlair
Summary: Annabeth is being abused by her boyfriend, Luke, who she can't get away from. She's only seventeen and is the quietest girl in school, only known because she's dating him, the second most popular guy in school. Percy and Luke's rivalry grows stronger as Luke gets the girl of Percy's dreams, even though Percy may not show that's what she is. Can Annabeth find trust in Percy?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, this is Blair again. I'm really sorry about not updating on my other fanfic Gone, but I'm seriously stuck with that one. For now, enjoy this fanfic, Waiting for Superman. J Before I start, I want to let you know a few things about this story. I have posted it on Alexis and I's IG account, we_live_to_read, but if you want to find it on IG this month, it's frozen_in_our_chilly_chapters for our winter username. Under IG, the title was You'll Miss Me, but I've changed it on here because I was inspired by the song Waiting for Superman when thinking about it. It's also under the IG hashtag youllmissmefanfic. Okay, sorry I kept you so long, and I seriously love you if you read these author notes because I know sometimes I want to just scroll through and start the dam fanfic. xD Okay, sorry I held you up, without further ado...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Percy Jackson books, I am not Rick Riordan. xD I wish I did though.**

**~ Blair**

**Chapter 1**

**Annabeth's POV**

"Luke! Stop! Please!" I scream as he creeps closer to me. I can see the balls of flaming anger in his eyes.

"I saw the way you looked at him!" he yells, inches away from my face.

"I looked at him in disgust! Nothing other than that!" I plead with tears streaming down my face.

He grabs onto my wrist and shoves me backwards, ramming me into the wall. I feel a sudden burst of pain radiating throughout my spine. Before my brain can process what he's doing, I feel a burning sensation across my cheek and warm liquid oozing from my nose. His grip gets tighter around my arm and he wrenches it to the side. I screech in pain and crumple to the ground. My vision starts to dim when I feel extreme pain in my side. I look over to see him yank his foot back, and he kicks me again. I yelp and he crouches next to me.

"Never look at him like that ever again," he snarls in my face. And then everything went black.

**FLASHBACK**

**9:00 AM THAT MORNING**

_I rush down the school hallway to my first class, Greek Mythology with Mr. Brunner. It was our first week of school and he told us we were going to have a large project to get to know our classmates. As I sit down, the bell rings. I let out a sigh of relief._

_"Good morning,class," Mr. Brunner says as he rolls into class, sitting comfortably in his wheelchair with a blanket over his lap. "Today you will be recieving your partners for the project."_

_I quickly glance over at Luke, who smirks at me. starts calling out pairs, and I cross my fingers, hoping to be paired with Luke. Otherwise, he'll be more than upset. _

_"Luke Castellan and Thalia Grace."_

_My heart sinks. Who will I be paired with then? _

_"Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase," finishes._

_Crap. This is not good. I glance first at Luke, who glares at me, then at Percy. Percy doesn't look happy at all, but he forces a smile my way. I stare daggers at him and turn away. How could this happen? Luke would kill me. Percy and Luke were already rivals. When I first came here last year, Percy and his friends had his eyes on me. I was not about to start developing feelings for the most popular guy in school, the jock and captain of the swim team. I was just the new girl who grew to be known as the weird, shy, smartest girl in school. Why would I have anything to do with him? Luke was nice and caring when I met him. Captain of the football team, he was rivals with Percy, the second most popular guy in school. He seemed less obnoxious than Percy and his group of friends were just as popular. I knew I shouldn't have gotten involved with him, but I felt for him anyway, and now, I'm stuck with him. After we started dating, he became protective and mean. Rude, arrogant, selfish, everything a bad boyfriend could be. Not to mention the fact that he hits me. Now that I have to work with Percy, what would Luke think? What would he do? Shivers go through me as I think of all the possibilities, none of them good. _

_Mr. Brunner begins explaining what we're supposed to do for the project. Something about interviewing our partners and writing out an essay on the things we did and learned about each other. My mind is elsewhere, though. _

**4:00 PM THAT AFTERNOON**

_"Hey, baby. How 'bout we go to my apartment? We can go watch a movie or something like that," Luke smiles at me and corners me behind the school at the end of the day. I know this is dangerous and my mind races for an excuse. _

_"Actually, Luke, I have a lot of homework to catch up on. Maybe tomorrow–" I begin, but he cuts me off. _

_"Come on, it'll be fun," he says, closing in on me. He makes sure to put venom and demand in his voice, and I give in, afraid. _

_"S-sure, let's go."_

_He takes my hand and we start walking to his apartment, where he lives alone. He leads me into his room and I know this won't end well. Fear buzzes through me like a blinking alarm, but I can't do anything. I am cornered._

**END OF FLASHBACK**

I wake up sore and in blazing hot pain, my vision blurry. I turn my head slightly to the side, trying to figure out where I am. When my vision clears, I see the familiar layout of Luke's bedroom and my heart leaps in panic.

_ I have to get out of here. _

I look around, trying to figure out where Luke is. If he isn't here, it will be easier for me to escape. I wouldn't be surprised if I see him just standing in his room, staring at me, enjoying my pain.

I realize the room is empty of people except for me, and I take a quick second to slow my heartbeat down. I take in my surroundings, the tousled covers hanging halfway off the bed that loom above me, the little bit of light that seeps in through Luke's curtains, the open window, and Luke's clothes that are strewn across the floor.

I slowly sit up, pressing my weight on my arms to lift myself up, and throbbing pain shoots through my entire body. Dizziness passes through me in waves, and I cry out softly. I ignore it all, knowing I _must_ get out of here. I stand up, tiptoe to the window, and look out. The ground isn't too far below. I'm sure I can jump, I've done it before, just not in this bad of a situation. I contemplate jumping out when I hear footsteps coming from outside Luke's room. In tearing panic, I quickly climb out the window without a second thought, hold onto the ledge for a second, then let go, gravity handling the rest and pulling me towards the ground. I land with a loud thump, and it takes all my willpower not to scream. I scramble to my feet despite the pain and start running.

I finally make it to my house and slip in through the back door to find silence awaiting me. It scares me, but I guess when you have a boyfriend who hits and threatens you, silence and emptiness is a time where you think the worst. Like if he will sneak up on you, ready to feast on the glory of giving pain.

I have no sense of time right now, so I don't know where my parents or Matthew and Bobby are. All I know is that they can't see me like this. I tiptoe through the kitchen to see the time on the microwave, 7:30 AM. My step-mother, Susan, has left with Matthew and Bobby by now so they can get to school, and father has left for work by now as well. I scale the steps and slip into my room, locking the door behind me. I go into the bathroom with my eyes shut tightly, afraid to look at my appearance, at his marks, at my bruises.

How will I hide them today?

Somehow, I manage to find the courage to take a peek. Peeling my eyes open, I look in the mirror and see a large, purple bruise across my cheek. My nose is swollen and red. My wrists have dark purple bruises wrapped around them, and tears spring up in my eyes. My hair is disheveled, a knotted mess. I quickly slip off my shirt and turn around to see the pinkish red bruise along my spine. There's also purple flames that dance across my right side, from where Luke kicked me multiple times yesterday, where there is the most pain at this moment. Tears spill out of my eyes, running down my cheeks as I think about what he does to me.

I don't understand how he has gotten so far with it, and how I have let him go so far. But then, what can I really do? If I tell someone, he'll only hurt me more. Even the slightest, small things he doesn't like gets me beat up. And I have no control over it. All I can do is hide.

Hide. Just hide.

I pull out my makeup case and wash my face, rubbing the dry blood off and waking myself up. I don't enjoy makeup, but it's mandatory to hide the bruises that show on my face. His marks. The marks that will scar me forever. That I can never forget, that I never will be able to forget.

I start to brush foundation across my face, my bruise on my cheek, my nose. I can't do anything about the swelling, but I can hide the color if I put enough on. I apply some light blush afterwards, just to even out my skin tone. My eyes are alright, not swollen, nothing wrong, I can see fine. I put on simple mascara. I brush my teeth, then put on light lip gloss to even it all out, and in the end, you can barely see my wounds. All that's unusual is the swelling.

I walk back into my room and change into jeans and a t-shirt, then slip my long sleeve sweatshirt on, hiding the bruises on my wrists. I have to be careful about those. One slip of my sleeve and anyone can notice. I brush my blonde mess and leave it down so it hides my face. I grab my backpack and slip out of my bedroom, down the steps, and out the door. No point in eating. I feel too sick to eat, but then again, that's how I always feel now.

Today I don't have any classes with Luke, thank goodness. But I have a few classes with Percy, and two with Thalia. I'll just have to ignore them. In the beginning of the year, when I first got here, I thought Thalia and I would make good friends, but apparently she isn't interested in that idea. So I'm basically alone. Which I'm fine with, don't get me wrong. But I need someone to talk to about Luke. There's only one person I can trust with that secret, Piper, but even some things I don't feel safe enough telling. If I don't get it out soon, I think I might die.

My first class is Math, who I of course, have with Percy. I walk into class just as the bell rings, my head down.

"How nice of you to show, Annabeth," Mrs. Dodds, my math teacher, says, venom dripping in her voice. "Since you're late, the last seat is in the back, next to . Go ahead and take it."

Oh, great.

**Hope you liked the chapter! Extra long (trust me, the pain of typing), just for you guys to make up for the short idiotic chapters of Gone. Please read and review! I love getting feedback and any suggestions on fixing or adding in something is appreciated. People aren't perfect though, so we make mistakes, so please no hate. Thank you!**

**- Blair**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey there! Next chapter for you! I hope you like it! Not much to say here in this author's note. My life's been hectic and I'm sick right now, so I have the day off. Anywho, hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson. Rick Riordan does.**

**- Blair**

**Chapter 2**

**Annabeth's POV**

I walk to the back of the class and take the seat next to Percy, not even glancing at him. I feel his gaze burning into me and I begin to feel self-conscious. Is he really going to stare at me like that? I turn towards him and meet his gaze warily, his bright sea-green eyes meeting my stormy grey ones.

After a moment, I snap, "Stare much?"

He smirks at me. "You were staring back."

"For a second, not a full three minutes."

"Oh, so you were counting now?" he teases.

I give him my best glare. "Shut. Up," I hiss.

I turn back to my notebook, opening it, and try to focus on whatever Ms. Dodds is talking about. Unfortunately, I'm a bit distracted today. I keep pulling down the sleeves of my sweatshirt, trying to hide my wrists. My side aches terribly, stabbing pains shooting through me every few seconds. I'm pretty sure I wince every time. It hurts just to pick up my pencil and write. I keep noticing out of the corner of my eye how Percy keeps glancing at me. I take a risk and turn to look at him as he glances at me again. His eyes are full of concern, but I don't understand why.

He meets my eyes again, just for a second, then turns away, scribbling something on a piece of paper. A few seconds later, a white folded up piece of paper is sitting on my desk. I lift it up, unfold it quietly, and glance down to read it.

_Why do you keep wincing every few seconds?_ it reads.

Crap. Am I that obvious? I feel my cheeks heat up as I quickly write back.

**_It's nothing. I just pulled a muscle. I'm fine. Why do you care anyways?_**

I slip it into Percy's awaiting hand when Mrs. Dodds isn't looking, and his fingers brush against mine. I feel like I was just shocked by electric, but I will the feeling to pass. What was _that_ about?

He reads it, replying with, _You look like you're in a lot of pain. I just wanted to make sure you're okay._

I purposely hold out my hand while Mrs. Dodds is turned away, waiting for the note, just so I could feel that addicting jolt of electric through my fingers when he touches them. He passes it to me, and I feel that same shock. I smile slightly to myself, read the note, and mouth back to him, "I'm fine."

I crumple the piece of paper in my hand and stuff it in my pocket, tugging on my sweatshirt sleeves again, just in case. I sit back and try my best to listen to what Mrs. Dodds is teaching, the class dragging on.

**LINE BREAK **

I sit down at my usual lunch table and wait for my only friend, Piper McLean. I don't understand how we are even friends, but now we're so close I consider her like my sister. Piper's beautiful, but she's got her own style, and she doesn't flaunt her beauty, like some of the popular girls, who aren't nearly as pretty as Piper. Piper could easily be popular, have any guy in school, but she ignores it all. Apparently to her, I'm all she has. Of course there's her boyfriend Jason, and his best friend, Leo, who's she's friends with too, and I guess I sort of am friends with both of them as well, but she means it in a sisterly, best friend way. I'm grateful though, because she is literally _all_ I have. She even knows about what Luke is doing to me, but I made her swear not to tell anyone or make a scene about it. Instead, she usually covers for me or tries her best to help with my bruises when she can.

I begin eating my lunch, and ten minutes later, neither Piper, Jason, or Leo has shown. I sigh. Piper must be sick, or she's off with Jason, which would explain why he isn't here. For Leo, I have no idea. Maybe he's flirting again. Which means I'm alone.

Luke is sitting with his football buddies today, and even though he always invites me to sit with him every time, I refuse to sit with those jerks. No way.

Two minutes later, just as I'm finishing my lunch, someone slides into the seat in front of me. I look up, surprised to see Percy, and I can't help but think about the feeling that traveled through me when our hands had touched. Those thoughts quickly changed as I remember the reason Luke hit me last night, all because of Percy. And if Luke sees this...

"What are you doing here?" I hiss.

"Relax, I won't stay. I just wanted to remind you about that project we have to work on for Mr. Brunner's class," he replies, throwing his hands up in mock surrender.

"Yeah, so?"

"So... We need to get started on it. You can come to my house after school, and we can work on it. Only if you aren't busy though," he shrugs.

I glance quickly towards Luke. He isn't paying any attention to me, still goofing around with his friends.

"I'm not busy. I can come."

"Great. Just meet me at my locker after class, okay? I can take you."

"Or I can just meet you at your house," I say, suddenly nervous about the idea. What if Luke sees me walking out with him, or getting into the same care with him? Luke might have me cornered anyway.

"Do you have a car?" Percy asks, a slight smirk on his face.

I blush deep red. "No."

"Exactly. My locker number is 657. I'll see you later," he says, getting up and leaving.

Just then, Piper decides to come rushing in, dragging Jason behind her. Her hair is everywhere, and Jason has lipstick on his cheek and lips. Wonder what they were doing. Piper slides into the seat Percy just got up from, and Jason sits behind her. I hand him a napkin and say, "You got a little something on your face."

He blushes and begins wiping his cheeks and lips as Piper straightens her hair, immediately beginning to interrogate me. "What was he doing with you?" she asks anxiously.

"We were paired for a project. He was asking me if I could go to his house to work on it today after school."

_"His_ house? Will his parents be home?"

I shrug. I hadn't thought about that. "I don't know."

Piper leans in close so Jason can't hear what she's saying, but he isn't paying much attention. She whispers, "What about Luke?"

"Think you can cover for me?" I ask just as quietly.

She smirks. "You know it. I'll walk out with you and Percy, and Jason can come, so it'll be like a group. I'll keep a lookout for Luke. If I see him, I'll explain you're coming with me to work on a project."

"Thanks, Pipes."

"No problem, Annie. I'll see you after school. I'll meet you at Percy's locker. What's his locker number?"

"657."

"Sounds good. See you later!" she gives me a hug and grabs onto Jason's hand, getting up.

"Bye, Annabeth," Jason smiles and waves at me, and they run off.

I wave back and throw away my food, then walk out of the cafeteria, deciding to go to the library before next class.

**LINE BREAK**

I'm sitting in my last class, English, which I usually enjoy, but today I desperately glance at the clock, waiting for the bell to finally ring. I don't understand my feelings. Why do I want this class to end? I should want it to drag on, considering that I have to work with Percy today. And if Luke sees me... Ugh, shut up, Annabeth! Piper has you covered. Besides, there's nothing between Percy and I. All we're doing is working on a stupid project, and it's not even a project where we _learn_ anything! Unless you count learning new things about your partner necessary. What a waste of time.

I mentally groan.

Finally, the bell rings, and I shoot out of class, the first one out the door. I walk over to my locker with my head down, put all my needed books for tonight in my backpack, zip it up, and shut my locker door. I wander around aimlessly, trying to figure out which locker row contains 657. In one row, I see a tall, broad guy with messy obsidian-colored hair, struggling with his books, trying to put them in his backpack neatly. Let's just say he's failing. I recognize who he is immediately and squeeze past people, walking up behind him. After a few seconds, I poke his shoulder.

He turns around and sees me, his face brightening, and he gives me a boyish lopsided grin. My heart skips a beat at his adorable smile. Wait a second... What the heck, Annabeth? Get yourself together!

"Hey, Annabeth. I'm almost done, just give me a second," Percy says, turning back to his mess of a locker.

"Struggle much?" I smirk at him, and take a step closer so I'm standing next to him, our shoulders brushing as I try to fit in between all the students. Hopefully Luke doesn't see me.

"Nah, I'm just having some trouble today. This doesn't usually happen," he replies, a slight blush crossing his cheeks.

"Here, let me." I take his backpack out of his hands as he grabs the books falling out of it, and I set it on the floor.

I bend down, my hair covering my face, and start putting books Percy hands me neatly into his backpack. When I'm done, I hand him his backpack, and shove him playfully out of the way so I can stand in front of his locker. It's a mess of loose papers, books, and writing utensils. I start taking all of the loose papers out of his locker, crumpling them in my hand, then handing the pile of papers to him.

"Go throw these away."

He obeys and leaves me for a few seconds while I continue organizing his locker. I straighten all his books, putting them in size order, then put all his writing utensils in the little cup holder thing that's magnetized to the inside of his locker door. By the time Percy comes back, his locker is spotless.

"Wow, thanks. I could have done it myself, you know," he says, staring at his locker.

"No, you couldn't have," I disagree, about to close his locker door. Then I notice a familiar face that sends shots of panic through me every time.

Luke.

He's at the end of the locker row, looking around, as if he's searching for someone. He is. Me.

"Oh no," I wheeze out, suddenly dizzy, trying to hide my body behind Percy's locker door and the student next to me.

_Please don't see me._

"Annabeth? Are you okay?" Percy asks. It may just be me, but his voice seems to be a little louder than I would like. What if Luke hears him say my name? Then I realize, in actuality, he's whispering to me.

"Yep, just fine," I squeak, my voice unusually high.

"No you aren't. What is it?" He starts looking around, trying to figure out what's upsetting me so suddenly.

I practically squeeze myself into his locker, and hiss, "Stop looking around! Would you just stop?" I start to feel tears pricking my eyes, and I blink, refusing to cry in front of Percy.

He stops and acts casual, like he's still rummaging through his locker. Really, he has instead grabbed onto my arm, leaning down, and I flinch away from his touch, but he holds on and looks at me intently. "What is it?"

"Nothing," I reply.

"Don't lie to me."

"Why do you care?"

"Because one, you've been in pain all day, and I've noticed it. And you keep pulling down your sweatshirt sleeves as if you have something to hide. Two, you look like you're about to be sick and like you've just seen a ghost, while you were fine just a few minutes ago, and you're whispering. Plus, you've practically fit yourself into my locker hiding. Hiding. From. What?"

I look away from his intense gaze, ignoring the question. I peer around the door to find Luke is gone, and let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "It's nothing," I finally say, standing up to find myself pressed up against him.

I take a jagged breath, ignoring how I feel like I enjoy being so close to his strong body, like he could protect me, and slip under his outstretched arm, no standing in the middle of the locker aisle. "Can we go now?"

He turns to face me and sighs, knowing he won't get an answer from me. "Yeah, come on."

He closes his locker door and lightly takes my arm, which I flinch away from. He looks at me with an odd expression I can't quite read and takes my arm again, guiding me in front of him and through the students still throwing things in their backpacks. When we're out of the locker aisle, I look around, making sure Luke isn't anywhere to be found, and Percy lets go of my arm.

"I have to meet someone first, come on," I say, walking to where Piper's locker is located, Percy trailing behind me.

"Hey Pipes! Come on, we have to go!" I call to her from the end of the locker row, not wanting to walk past all the people again. She turns her head, smiles and waves, then closes her locker and swings her backpack onto her shoulder.

When she meets up with me, I ask, "Where's Jason?"

"He had to go home early with Thalia. Something about his mom?"

"Oh, okay... Well, let's go."

"Hey Percy," Piper greets with a small smile and a wave.

"Hi. Piper, right?" he asks politely.

"That's me, I'm Annie's best friend," Piper smiles widely and throws one arm across my shoulders playfully.

"That's cool."

Piper laughs. "Well, we should be going. Come on, you two."

She leads us out of the locker area and into the halls, keeping a close eye out for Luke. I keep my head down, just in case, and Percy follows behind me. We make it out of the building with no problems.

"Okay, well, we're all good," Piper says, winking at me. "I got to go now, my car's over there." She points, then gives me a hug, waving to Percy, and walks off.

I suddenly feel awkward, and a bit panicky. What if Luke shows up and Piper's already gone? "So where's your car?" I ask Percy, eager to leave and finally be safe.

"Over there," he says, pointing in the opposite direction that Piper had gone. He leads me over to his car, a sleek black convertible with the top up. Small, white letters read _Blackjack_ on the driver's car door. The car looks brand new, glossy and clean, not one scratch visible. Percy unlocks the car and opens up the passenger door for me, so I sit down. There's no where else for me to sit anyway, considering there's no back seat. If there was, I would have taken it.

He closes the door behind me and walks around the car, slipping into the driver's seat and inserting the keys. He locks the doors, and I become a little nervous. The last time I did something like this, I was with Luke, and he had locked me in, then hit me. I curl up in the seat, hugging my knees. Percy looks over at me.

"You really aren't okay. Why won't you tell me what it is?"

"It's nothing, I'm just tired."

He sighs, clearly frustrated at my denial. "You can trust me, you know."

"That's the thing, I _don't_ know! I can't trust anyone anymore, except for Piper! I've only really known you for what? A day? Just because of this stupid project! How can I _possibly_ trust you?! I can't even trust my own boyfriend, for goodness sakes!" I scream at him. The last part sort of just slipped out, and I regret saying it, because I just admitted to something way too personal. Something no one knows about except Piper.

Percy looks at me confusedly, but then realization hits him like bricks to the head. "That's why you're in so much pain. He's abusing you, isn't he? And that's why you were hiding at my locker, you saw him looking for you, and you didn't want to be seen with me because he would hit you again."

This guy was smarter than I thought.

Crap.

"That's not it."

"Don't lie."

"Can we _please_ just go?" I plead, curling up again into a ball on the seat, trying to drop the subject.

He won't let it go though, obviously, because he takes one of my wrists forcefully, prying it away from my knees. I yelp at his grip on my bruised wrist, pain shooting through my arm. He lifts my sweatshirt sleeve, and I try to twist away, but his hold remains. He looks down at the swollen purple bruise wrapping around my wrist. I keep trying to pull away, but he doesn't have it. What he does surprises me, though.

He lifts my wrist up to his lips and kisses it gently, and I melt under his touch. His lips are warm and soft, and soothe the throbbing pain in my wrist.

"W-what are you doing?" I whisper.

"You shouldn't have to go through that," he replies softly, concern and sorrow etched into his voice.

"But I have to anyway."

He continues to stare at my bruise, and begins rubbing it gently with his thumbs. Even though it's soft, light touch, it still hurts terribly.

"That hurts," I wheeze out, trying to pull my wrist away.

"I'm sorry." He kisses my wrist again, and my heart thumps in my chest. Why does he have this effect on me all of a sudden?

He lets go of my wrist and I pull my sweatshirt sleeve back down. I look out the window and see sprinkles of rain beginning to fall.

"Can we go now?" I ask, embarrassed at what just occurred.

"Yep."

He pulls out of the parking spot and drives away from the school, the place where I'm guarded with fear, hidden behind a mask. What Luke does is tiring, upsetting, exhausting, a million other things. It kills me inside, and I can't do anything about it.

But maybe someone else can.

**Not really a cliffie, and yet, sort of a cliffie! I hope you liked this chapter, and the next update will be posted soon! Thanks for reading. Please review! Feedback and suggestions are appreciated!**

**- Blair**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey lovelies! So, this chapter has a warning. Major fluff. I don't know if it's really my best chapter, or maybe the 'romance' is going a little too fast between Percy and Annabeth, but please tell me what you think in your reviews! Also, I want to say thanks to all of you who gave me those wonderful kind reviews. So here we go!**

**Thanks to:**

**DragonClan**

**Jedi1 (I especially liked the suggestion on Luke getting beat up by Thalia xD)**

**Chazaq**

**Sora Loves Rain**

**andyjk18**

**sportsfanforever2 (Thanks Matthew, love you xD)**

**Lily Ryann (Your review was soooo sweet! It made my day. Thank you so much!)**

**Amygoobs**

**SeaBreeze Daughter of Poseidon**

**Thanks to all of you! Your reviews are so kind and I love hearing them! By the way, Alexis, my bestest friend in the world since kindergarten, says hi! She's in our pen name, because we own this account together, and our IG account as well. She doesn't write much though, I'm more of the writing type, and she's afraid to show people her work. She says she isn't a good writer, but trust me, she is. Maybe sometime soon, she'll post one of her stories!**

**Disclaimer: Percy Jackson is owned by Rick Riordan, not me. Puh-lease, I'm not THAT great of a writer!**

**- Blair**

**Chapter 3**

**Annabeth's POV**

By the time we pull into Percy's driveway, which might I say is freaking gigantic, it's pouring rain outside. Through the sheets of rain I could see a house the size of a mansion looming over us. There's a four car garage, a large garden in the front with bushes and flowers, and land stretched out all around like a green blanket. The front of the house is brick, and there's two nice columns on the beginning porch, in front of the door. Percy stops in front of the garage and turns off the car.

"On the count of three, we sprint to the house, okay?" he asks, a smile playing across his face.

"M'kay."

"One... Two... Three!" he shouts, and we open our car doors and sprint out into the pouring rain. We make it to the porch within seconds, my hair already soaked and I'm shivering like a leaf in autumn wind.

The porch is large and wraps around the side of the house, and I become jealous. He's rich. And I'm stuck in a small house that can barely fit the five of us. Actually, it _can't _fit the five of us, and yet, we make it happen. Meanwhile, Percy has more than enough. He unlocks the door and steps in, holding it open for me. I walk in, pain bursting through my side with every step. He closes the door behind me and I look around. There's a giant swirling staircase that leads upstairs to my right, and a huge living room to my left, complete with spotless furniture and crisp white carpeting. There's a wide, cherry hardwood floor hallway that leads into some other rooms in front of me, and a chandelier that sparkles and lights up the space hangs above me.

"Wow," I breathe.

"I know," Percy says warily from behind me. "It's too much for me and my mom, but it's what we have. I don't need it though."

"Only you and your mom live here?" I ask, astounded.

"Well, there's Paul, my stepfather, but he's always at the school, he's an English teacher at Goode. Ninety-nine percent of the time, it's basically just me and my mom."

"Oh... But, if your stepfather is an _English teacher_, how do you have all _this_?"

Percy lets out a laugh, and I blush, realizing my question was rude. "My real father. He lives in Los Angeles. He left before I was born, but he provides all these things for my mom and I. He's got a good business as a marine biologist. He has his own company."

"Oh. Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude."

"Don't worry about it, it wasn't rude. Come on, the kitchen's over here. I bet my mom made blue cookies."

"Blue cookies?"

"Heh, yeah. It's this thing my mom and I have had since I was a baby... My ex-stepfather said that blue food didn't exist, so my mom always made me blue food. Blue waffles, blue cookies, blue everything. It was like our own little rebellion against him. He's gone now, thankfully. He used to hit my mom, and he was always drunk. Sometimes he hit me. We finally are free from him though, and my mom really likes Paul. They're married now. She's super happy with him, and if she's happy, I am too. And besides, Paul's pretty cool anyways, so I don't mind."

"That's sweet. I mean, about Paul and your mom. Not about your ex-stepfather," I say quickly, and I realize just how many problems Percy has. A father that left before he was born, an ex-stepfather who hit him and his mom, and a new stepfather, including more luxuries than he really needs or wants. It must be hard to transition so much the way he does.

Percy laughs. "Yeah, I know. The blue food is just a tradition we stuck with now."

I laugh too. "That's sort of weird."

He shrugs and leads me into the kitchen, and I swear it's my dream kitchen. Big, with tons of space, gleaming counters, everything you could ask for. There's a steaming plate of blue cookies on the island in the middle of the kitchen, and Percy picks one up, handing it to me. "Try it."

I do, and it's probably one of the best things I have ever tasted. It melts on your tongue, soft and sugary, with a hint of cinnamon. "Mmm.."

Percy laughs. "I agree." He picks one up himself and stuff it in his mouth, finishing it in one bite. What a boy.

"So where's your mom?"

"She's out today. She had some errands to run I guess. It's just us."

He shrugs like me being alone with him in this huge house is no big deal, but I feel anxiety creeping up on me again. If the was me and Luke, things would turn out really bad. In more ways than one.

I must have made a face to show my anxiety, because Percy quickly adds, "Don't worry though. I won't do anything to you. I promise."

I feel heat rise in my cheeks and I know I'm blushing. I can see him blush a little bit too, but maybe that's my imagination.

"I didn't say you would," I argue.

"But you were thinking it," he retorts.

"I wasn't thinking about you, I was thinking about how this would turn out if it was Luke here with me instead of you."

"Exactly. I'm not like Luke."

"I know that."

Percy sighs a little and walks over to the dining room table. He throws his backpack on the table and sits down on a chair, motioning for me to sit. I walk over and put my backpack on the floor next to my chair, and I sit down. Percy takes out a notebook and pen from his backpack, so I do the same.

"So, I guess I just ask you questions about yourself?" he asks.

I nod.

"Okay, so um... What's your full name?"

I let out a laugh. "Annabeth Athena Chase."

"Why Athena?" Percy asks as he scribbles down my name.

"My mom's name was Athena. Her mom was into Greek mythology I guess."

"Do you live with your mom?"

And there's that question. That sensitive subject. I take in a jagged breath. "No, she died giving birth to me. That's why my dad gave me the middle name Athena. In remembrance of her. She had always wanted to have a daughter named Annabeth, so he gave me that name. Basically, my entire name is linked to her."

Percy looks at me with sympathy. "Sorry, I didn't-"

"I don't care. I don't like sympathy. I'm tired of sympathy."

Percy shuts his mouth and asks after a few seconds, "So who do you live with?"

"My dad, stepmom, and my twin little brothers."

Percy writes this down. "What are their names?"

"My dad is Frederick, my stepmom Susan, and my twin brothers are Matthew and Bobby."

"Are your brothers your half-brothers?"

"Yes, they're half. They're my stepmom and my dad's kids."

"How old are they?"

"Seven."

"That's cool... Um, what's your favorite color?"

"Grey."

"Like your eyes?"

"Yep. I don't know why I like it, I guess it's calming to me."

"What do you like to do in your free time?"

"Read... I like taking walks, and photography is cool. I love architecture."

"Do you have a job?"

"I babysit and I have a waitressing job at a restaurant downtown."

"Who do you hang out with?"

"Piper, she's like a sister to me, then there's her boyfriend Jason. I sometimes hang out with him, and then there's Jason's best friend Leo. It's our little group."

"And your boy- never mind."

I feel my face heat up again and my eyes sting, so I look down at my notebook, which is blurry. I rub at my eyes and feel hot tears against my fingers. Stop it, Annabeth. Stop being a baby. I accidentally drop my pen when I put my hand back down, and it rolls across the floor. I get up to retrieve it, and as I bend down, I feel cold air against my hip as my sweatshirt and tank top slide up.

"God, Annabeth," Percy says, and I straighten up quickly.

"What?"

"Your hip," he says, pointing. I Look down and see only a sliver of the wound Luke gave yesterday on my hip. I know that it snakes up my side, but Percy doesn't need to know that.

"It's fine, it doesn't hurt," I say, about to pull my sweatshirt back down. Percy gets up quickly and stops me from pulling it down, staring at the little bit of bluish-black bruise.

"That's why you were in a lot of pain," he says, his hand gripping onto my arm. I recoil at the contact.

He starts to slide my shirt up my side, revealing more of the bruise, but I stop him by grabbing onto his wrist with my other hand.

"Stop it!" I say shakily, tears already slipping down my cheeks, making everything blurry.

"Annabeth, just let me see," he says.

"No, no, you can't see! Just stop! Please!" I start crying, coughs escaping my lips as I plead. "Please stop, don't-"

"I could help, I have-"

"No you can't! You can't help it! It'll go away, just leave it alone!" I try to push him away, but he holds onto me.

"Annabeth, please just calm down. I promise I won't hurt you," he whispers soothing and he turns me so I face him. "I promise."

I continue coughing as I weep, and each cough sends pain through my side, into my chest. "Y-you promise?"

"Of course."

I let go of his wrist and leave my arms at my sides, my hands clasped in front of me. He holds onto one of my arms as he begins sliding my sweatshirt and my tank to back up my side, and I yelp in pain. More of the bruise is revealed as he lifts up my clothing all the way to the top of my stomach.

"How big is it?" he mumbles to himself. "Annabeth, just take your sweatshirt off."

"No," I say, pulling away from him successfully.

"Please, Annabeth, I just need to see it all." He doesn't move towards me, just leaves the decision up to me, if I can trust him or not. In a way, I feel like I can, but I'm afraid.

But I slip my sweatshirt off anyway, leaving myself in just my tank top, my bra straps showing my shoulders along with my tank top straps. My tank top still covers my bruise, and he looks at me, and I know what he's asking. But I can't do that, I can't feel like I feel with Luke, bare and open. So why do I obey? I have a choice. And I make it, but it's the choice I didn't want to make. But at the same time, I do want to make it, because for some reason, I believe Percy can help. So I do it anyway. I slip my tank top off carefully, holding it out in front of me, so I'm just in my bra.

_Why_ in the world would I show _Percy, _who I've only really talked to for about a day, my bruises, leave myself open for him? My flat stomach is showing, my new bruise is showing, all the marks and scars from previous wounds Luke has given me are visible, my collarbone is bare. And this guy that I hate can see all of it. Or do I even really hate him at all?

He takes a step back, obviously showing he won't touch me unless I want him to, which in one way, I do, and in another way, I don't. He looks at my side from a distance, seeing the full, dark, swollen and tender bruise. It runs from just below my bra down my side and ends at my hip. I start to cry again, and I don't know why. Maybe because it hurts, maybe because I'm upset at what Luke's doing to me, maybe because I want Percy to help me and yet he's standing so far away.

"Say something," I plead. The silence is eating me alive.

"I don't know what to say."

"So I'm just going to stand here and feel open and bare, and all you're going to do is stare?" I snap.

"I'm trying to figure out what to do, but I don't want to make you feel awkward or hurt you."

"I think it's more awkward that I'm just standing here in my bra."

"Well I don't really know what to do."

"So you can't help?"

"Well, I can, but I don't know how."

"Just do something!"

Percy takes a deep breath and walks closer to me, and I leave my arm crossed along my stomach so my bruise is open. He hasn't stared anywhere but at my bruise, and I'm grateful for that, because Luke would stare at other places, like at my chest, and he wouldn't just stare, he would touch. But Percy doesn't seem interested about that. He bends down by my wound, sitting on his knees, and I feel his warm breaths against my side, sending chills through me.

He brushes his fingers along my side, and pain prickles through it. I wince. He puts one hand on the small of my back to keep me steady, and I feel the heat from his palm against my skin. I shiver, partly from his touch, partly from the cold air wrapped around me. Hopefully he doesn't notice. If he does, he doesn't show it, he just stares at my bruise carefully, and he looks like he's thinking real hard about what to do next.

He hesitates, then leans his forehead lightly against my side, which in a way hurts, but I don't care, because butterflies are fluttering around in my stomach. He brushes his lips softly along my bruise, his eyes closed, and electricity surges through me, just like the morning when he passed me those notes and our fingers brushed, or when he kissed my wrist in the car. But this I guarantee is about a million times better.

And I make up my choice right then and there. I don't hate Percy Jackson. I probably never did. My feelings were just hidden behind Luke's actions. And I hate Luke. Luke is the problem, Percy _never_ was. I'll have to thank Mr. Brunner for pairing him up with me for this project as one of the things we did together. That thought makes me want to laugh.

Percy's other hand now rests on my flat stomach, holding himself and I steady as he just leans on my bruise cautiously, every few seconds kissing it lightly. Each and every brush of his lips make me feel like I'm floating, like I just want to drop into his arms and never have to worry again. The pain is subsiding, but I guess that's probably because I'm so giddy about what he's doing. It's working though.

His hands are strong and warm, and I feel safe when he touches me, like he can protect me from everyone and everything. I drop my sweatshirt and tank top on the floor in front of me so my hands are free and I cover his hand that rests on my stomach with mine. Tears are spilling down my cheeks, but they're happy tears, tears of gratitude for Percy, just for how he's treating me. He's treating me with respect, and he's trying to help. He cares. He's not taking advantage of me, the way Luke would.

Percy wraps his arms around my midsection, hugging me tightly, his head still against my bruise. I hold onto his arm with my hands for support, and my tears slip off my cheeks and fall onto my collarbone, or on his arms, or on my hands. He doesn't say anything, and I don't either, I just stand there, feeling content in his arms. Safe. I'm safe.

After a few minutes, he sighs a little and mumbles against my skin, "I honestly don't know what to do."

I chuckle softly, and assure him, "What you're doing now is just fine."

I feel him smile against my side and he says, "I feel terrible, Annabeth. I can't believe he's doing this to you."

"I've been dealing with it fine."

"That's a lie. You're not fine. And you shouldn't have to deal with it in the first place."

"Well, I still am, aren't I? I can't escape, Percy."

"He's not getting away with it anymore."

"How won't he?"

"I won't let him."

"Percy, he can't see me with you. He'll hit me harder," I say shakily, reliving yesterday in my mind.

"I don't care, I'll fight him if I have to."

"Don't."

"But I will. You shouldn't be with him."

"But I can't get away, Percy! He's got me right where he wants me, where he's in control, and I can't do anything about it."

"But I can. And then you can finally escape. You can be with whoever you want to be with. You won't have to be harassed by him anymore."

"Am I some sort of charity case to you?" I ask, suddenly angry.

Percy lifts up his head and looks up at me. "Why would you think that?"

"You're leading me on, aren't you?"

"I would never do that! I'm trying to help. I won't deny that I wish you would want to be with me, and I always have, but I didn't say that because I don't know how you feel. But you could. If you wanted to, you could be with me," he says that last part softly, a whisper of wind, like it's sensitive. And I guess it is, but the truth is that I've realized that's exactly what I want.

"But that is what I want, and I didn't realize that before, because Luke's actions hid it from me. I thought you were like him," I whisper.

"I'm not like him. I promise, I'll never, ever do that to you. Ever. You don't deserve what he gives you, Annabeth. You deserve something better. Something more."

"I know you're not like him. But in the beginning, he was nice and thoughtful and kind, and he made me believe he was... I don't know. But how do I know that's not what you're doing now? What if I decide I want to be with you, just like how I was with Luke, and once you have me, you use me like he does?"

"Annabeth, I promise with all my heart that I will _never_ do that. I will _never_ use you like that. I'll give you everything I have, I promise. I'll treat you like a princess, because that's what you deserve. I'll give you my best. I don't know how good my best is, but I promise I'll treat you as good as I can. And trust me when I say my good isn't abusing or taking advantage of you."

I listen to his words carefully, processing them in my mind. I look down at him and meet his eyes, and I understand that he's telling the truth. And I realize that when Luke was nice and caring, I couldn't tell that. I couldn't understand like I can with Percy. Percy shows it. Luke was acting.

"I believe you," I breathe out, suddenly exhausted.

He grins at me and kisses my bruise again. "I'm so sorry about what he did to you." He stares at my bruise, brushing his lips along it again.

"I'm okay. You're helping."

He smiles and takes his arms away from me, standing up. "Does it still hurt?" he asks, and I can't help but think how cute he when he's worried.

I think about it, focusing on how it feels, and even though it still hurts a little, it's better. "A little. But it feels much better than before."

"I can give you some ice and you could lay down and rest for a little while," he suggests.

"Okay."

He walks over the freezer and I pick up my sweatshirt and tank top from in front of me. He comes back with a long ice pack that can easily fit on my entire side.

"It's really cold," he says.

"That's okay, it'll numb it."

"Okay, hold on," he says, walking out of the room and coming back a few minutes later with some gauze. He bends back down by my bruise and sets the ice pack down on my bare skin, covering my entire bruise. The cold is like standing in a snowstorm in only your underwear, and I immediately start shivering, my teeth chattering. Percy ignores my shaking and starts wrapping the gauze around my midsection, securing the ice pack in place. When he's done, he stands back up and steps back.

"You can put your clothes on now," he says, blushing.

I throw my tank top on, and it fits snugly now with the ice pack strapped to my side. I put on my baggy sweatshirt, but it doesn't really help with the cold feeling, and I'm still shivering. Percy takes my hand and leads me up the stairs, and I follow him up and onto the second floor. He leads me through a few different hallways, and I'm positive I would get lost if I was alone. He finally stops at a door and opens it, motioning for me to go in. I walk in to find a large bedroom with a king-sized bed, dark blue-green walls, and a window covered by blue curtains. Furniture like a desk and a dresser is neatly arranged in the room, and it's surprisingly clean.

"Is this your room?" I ask.

"Yeah, you can lay down here and rest, if you want."

"That would be nice... Thanks, Percy."

I turn away because I can feel how much I'm blushing now, and I don't want him to see. I hesitantly walk over to his bed and pull down the covers, climbing in and immediately sinking into the mattress and covers. It was the most comfortable thing I've ever been on. I curl up and lean on Percy's pillow, and it smells like him, a faint scent of Axe spray and mint and something distinctly male. Percy stands by the door and watches me, then steps closer and pulls up the covers all the way to my chin.

The cold is still there, numbing my side, but I feel a bit warmer under the covers and in my sweatshirt, snuggled up in his bed. He brushes his hair away from my face and I hear the pitter-patter of pouring rain, soothing. His fingers brush along my forehead, across my closed eyelids, down my nose and across my cheeks, and finally, brushes over my lips. My eyes are still closed, I can't see him, but I know he's smiling. He takes his other hand and continues to stroke my hair softly, and I feel safe and protected.

"Are you cold?" he asks, his voice barely a whisper and like only the slightest wisp of a breeze.

"Yes," I answer, my voice just as soft, my lips moving against his fingertips. There's an awkward silence that fills the air, so I just lay there still with my eyes closed. He's so quiet if his fingertips weren't against my lips I would have thought he left.

"Can I lay with you for a little while?" he asks, filling the silence, and I'm surprised, and I can hear the embarrassment in his voice.

"Sure," I say, secretly happy that he can stay with me, maybe hold me and make me feel safe.

He gets up, gently pulling his hand out of my grip, and I hear him walking, then I hear the door shut, and the next thing I know he's climbing into bed next to me, and he's wrapping his arms around me, careful of my side. He holds me tightly, protectively, and he snuggles up against me, hiding his face in my neck. Soon enough, I am able to calm my beating heart, feeling comforted with him next to me, protecting me. Exhaustion waves over me and I fall asleep in his arms, finally feeling warm with him against me and the covers wrapped around me.

**Thanks for reading, tell me what you think in the reviews. This wasn't a filler chapter, because a lot of information was covered in it, like Percy and Annabeth's back story, Annabeth's feelings, etc. I just added fluff to make it more interesting! So, please review! Thank you, I love you all! xD**

**- Blair**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! Sorry I haven't been able to post in a while. I've been really busy and it's been hard for me to come up with ideas. I know that this chapter may seem like a little bit of a filler, but I once again, didn't have many ideas in mind. Please forgive me. xD So not much to say here except, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I once again, do not own any of the Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus books or characters. All rights go to Rick Riordan.**

**-Blair**

Chapter 4

**Percy's** **POV**

"Percy! Percy, where are you?" I faintly hear a familiar voice calling my name. My mother.

At first, I think I'm dreaming, then I become aware of my arms wrapped around someone, and the voice becomes louder and more distinct, and I realize I'm awake.

"Percy?"

The door opens to my room and I look over to see my mother's shocked face. Why does she look like that? Then I realize who she's staring at, and I turn my head to see a familiar mass of blonde curls poking out from under the covers.

Annabeth.

"Who. Is. _That." _

I lift my arms away from Annabeth cautiously, careful not to wake her since she was still snoring softly, and I know she's in pain. I throw the covers off me and stand up, aware that I'm still in my jeans and t-shirt.

"Mom, it's not even _close _to what it looks like," I begin.

"Oh really? Because I walk in to see some notes on the kitchen table, and then I see you're gone, so I walk upstairs and see you lying in your bed with a _girl_."

"We just fell asleep!"

She looks at me, crossing her arms, but I notice she's trying to keep a firm, straight face, but the corners of her lips are turned up ever so slightly and her eyes are smiling.

"Mom, you aren't even angry," I laugh quietly.

She starts chuckling, shaking her head. "Actually, I'm not, It's really funny, even though I shouldn't think it is." She motions to Annabeth. "Who's that?" she whispers.

"That's Annabeth... She's a friend from school, we were working on a project for school. You know Mr. Brunner, right? Yeah, well he paired us up. She's going through some hard situations though..."

"I know Mr. Brunner. He's very nice. What situations?"

"Um, don't tell her I told you, because I promised I would never tell, but it's safe to tell you I guess. But her 'boyfriend' is abusing her," I mumble in disgust, putting air quotations around the word boyfriend. "And she can't get away from him."

My mother gasps, covering her mouth with her hands, and I see her eyes are glassy. And I understand why. She went through the same thing for years, and there was no other person to help her.

Annabeth shifts in bed, then groans, and I can tell it's from pain. She sits up from the covers and brushes her messy curls away from her face. My mother and I just stare, my mom's mouth still covered with her hands. Annabeth rubs her eyes and looks around, taking in her surroundings, squinting. When she sees my mother, she gasps and shoots up, then cries out in pain, clutching her side.

"I-I;m so sorry Mrs. Jackson, , I-I..." She trails off, staring at my mother worriedly.

"Oh, my poor baby! I'm so sorry!" my mother screeches, rushing forward and wrapping Annabeth in a tight embrace. Annabeth looks at me, confused.

I mouth, _Your side_

And she's smart enough to understand my hidden meaning, and obviously she does, because one second she looks shocked and the next she's staring daggers at me. She returns my mom's hug, and after a few seconds, her eyes are glassy, and she starts crying into my mom's shoulder.

My mom comforts her, rubbing her back. "Shh, you poor baby. I know how you feel, it's okay. He won't get away with it anymore."

Annabeth sobs harder when she hears that last line, clutching to my mom for dear life. I feel terrible, I've always liked her, and now I feel like I need to protect her. Luke shouldn't be doing this. Not to my Annabeth. The fact that she believes that I'm like him is painful to hear, because I will never do that to her. She's my princess, that's the way I will treat her. Not the way that Luke Castellan does. That's disgusting, and I love Annabeth way too much to treat her that way.

I just want Annabeth to truly believe that I care about her.

My mom pulls away after a few more moments, wiping some of her own tears. "I'm Sally, by the way. You can always call me Sally. And you're Annabeth?"

Annabeth nods.

"So where's your bruises, honey?"

Annabeth looks scared and embarrassed, and she shakily pulls off her sweatshirt and tank top, like she did to me, revealing the ice pack strapped to her side.

My mother glances at me as if to say, _Did you do that?_

I know she means the ice pack job. Or at least I hope.

I nod, and for a second she looks surprised, and I know what she's surprised about, I've already seen Annabeth in a bra, whoop di doo. But hey, it was for a good reason. I won't deny she's beautiful, everything about her is beautiful, but I was focused on her bruise, not anything else.

My mom smiles though, so I know she's okay with it and proud of me for taking care of her. She unwraps the guaze and pulls of the ice pack to reveal Annabeth's bruise, and I feel a pang of sadness and anger at what Luke's done to her. Mom looks at it carefully, then decides I had done a good job and there was no more she could do but wait for it to heal. She takes a look at Annabeth's wrists, too, but she can't really do much for those either. She must know something I don't though, because she asks Annabeth to go wash her face, and Annabeth's eyes fill with terror. She obeys, though, and walks into my bathroom.

When Annabeth comes back out, a new bruise is showing along her cheek, and I fight the urge to go find Luke right this second and let him get a taste of his own medicine. Instead, I walk over to Annabeth, who won't meet my eyes, and Mom steps back. I take Annabeth's face in my hands gently, then kiss the wound on her cheek, then move to her ear, then her neck, wrapping my arms around her protectively, hugging her.

I can tell she's trying not to cry, and I let go of her, leaving my mom to look at the purple bruise. My mother takes a peek, and decides to put the ice pack on her cheek for a little while, just enough to soothe the swelling. Annabeth holds the ice pack to her cheek as Mom turns her around. There's a bruise down Annabeth's spine that I didn't notice before, but it's not as bad as the others, just a bit of a light pink color, with only a little swelling.

I'm trying to figure out how Luke gave her that bruise, playing out what the scene might have been like in my mind. Luke either had to corner her, or hit her immediately to make her too weak to get away or fight back. Even though the injury on Annabeth's back is minor, I'm sure it hurt when she got it. Spines are delicate.

Luke must have grabbed her wrists and slammed her into the wall, causing her to hit her spine and leave her week. Therefore, she couldn't get away, and that's when he put the serious injuries into place.

I clench my fists at his actions. How dare he do this to Annabeth? After that last bruise though, that seems to be it. Mom helps Annabeth put her shirt back on and then she says she should go back to bed and rest. She smiles and then leaves my room, closing the door behind her, leaving Annabeth and I alone.

"So..." I start.

Annabeth holds her hands in front of her and glances at me nervously, then back down at the floor, not meeting my eyes. I sit on the corner of my bed, realizing how awkward it seems. My mom walks back into the room.

"Honey, I need to go out and get a few things, then I'm supposed to meet Paul for dinner," she says, stuffing her wallet into her purse.

"Okay Mom. Thanks for helping Annabeth. I'll see you later. Have fun." I get up and kiss her cheek, giving her a hug.

"No funny business, you two," she smirks playfully, then flashes a grin and leaves.

After I hear her leave the house, I shut my bedroom door and turn around, looking at Annabeth. She hasn't changed position, just staring at the floor, her hair covering her bruised cheek, hands held clasped in front of her.

"Look, Annabeth, it's-"

"I don't really want to talk right now, Percy, please."

I sigh, confused at her sudden change of attitude towards me. "Is there something you want to do?"

She shrugs slightly, still focused on the floor. I walk over to her and grab her arm gently, and she flinches away from my touch.

"Annabeth, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"I know you're lying."

She lets out a frustrated sigh, then looks up at me. I reach for her arm again, but she pushes me away, hard. I feel hurt by the way she's treating me all of a sudden, and I grab onto her wrist, a little too firmly. She lets out a cry of pain and punches me in the chest, breaking free of my grasp.

"Don't touch me, Percy! I hate you!" she screams at me.

Her words seep into me, and something inside me breaks. How could she hate me? I didn't even do anything!

"Annabeth, why, why would you say that? I didn't do anything to you," I say softly, reaching out to her and taking her elbows in my hands, refusing to let this go.

She doesn't meet my eyes, and she continues to try and push me away or wrench free of my grasp. Tears stream down her cheeks as she hits my chest, my arms, my shoulders, twisting and kicking and thrashing and screaming at me to let her go, to leave her alone.

But I won't.

I gather her tighter in my arms and ignore all her protests and hits, holding onto her silently. She starts to calm down, her breathing ragged, and I can tell she's exhausted. Her body slumps against me in defeat. I begin stroking her hair, running my fingers through her curly knots.

"Shh, Annabeth, it's okay. It's okay. Calm down."

I hear her tears but I don't know what to do. She sobs into my shirt and I realize just how vulnerable Luke has made her. She may put on a smile for everyone, but I can see right through her.

"Annabeth, it's okay. Really. I'm here. Come lay down, okay?"

She nods her head and clutches to my neck as I pick her up bridal style and lay her down on my bed, tucking the covers up to her shoulders. She looks up at me with tear-stained, rosy cheeks and her startling grey eyes, and I wipe away her dried tears, kissing both her cheeks. I brush stray hairs behind her ears and stroke her from her forehead to her hair with my fingers and back again.

"Don't worry, Annabeth, you're safe here. I promise I won't let anything happen to you."

She nods with her eyes closed and reaches for my hand from beneath the covers, as if she knows exactly where it is, and I rest it on her stomach, lacing her fingers with mine. She will always be safe with me. I make that vow, to myself and to her, and kiss her forehead, watching her drift to sleep.

**Dang. Serious stuff, huh? It was really hard for me to write from a guy's point of view, but look! I did it! Hopefully I did it well! Tell me what you think in the reviews, and thanks for reading. I seriously love all of you. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey again! Two updates in a row?! You guys are SO lucky. **

**Disclaimer: These get tiring. But, I must, so: I don't own Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus. All rights to Rick Riordan. **

**- Blair**

**Chapter 5**

**Annabeth's POV**

You know how when you wake up and it's completely dark and you can't see anything at all, and then you have that mini heart attack?

Well, that's exactly how I wake up, seeing absolutely nothing at all, and my heart pounds against my chest, anxiety setting in. My eyes adjust to the dark, and I notice the outlines of furniture, and I realize I'm in Percy's room. The sliver of moonlight seeps into the room through the dark curtains, and my bruises throb.

I notice that I'm alone, and the digital clock's bright red numbers show that the time is eleven at night. What is my family thinking, if I'm not home?

I stare at the dark ceiling, trying to clear my thoughts and ignore the pulsing pain and the headache coming on. After a few minutes, the pain gets worse and the headache is now a migraine, and so I try to get up slowly, as not to get dizzy, so I can go find Percy. Tears are in my eyes as the feeling of pure agony intensifies. I open the door a crack and look into the lighted hallway. Maybe Percy or Sally are close.

"Percy?" I whisper-shout.

No answer.

"Percy?" I call a little louder.

Silence.

I step out into the hall, holding my head in my hand.

"Percy? Are you there? I need you!" I yell, pain shooting through me. "Percy, please!"

"Annabeth? Is that you?" A familiar deep voice answers.

I nod, my eyes closed. I use the wall for support so I don't drop to my knees in exhaustion. I hear footsteps come closer.

"Hey, Annabeth, are you okay?" Percy asks softly.

I shake my head. "I feel sick."

"Hey, it's okay, come here." Percy takes my forearm and pulls me to him gently, and I wrap my arms around his torso, burying my head in his chest.

I feel acid rising up in my stomach and I barely get out, "I'm going to be sick."

Percy lifts me up bridal style as I try to keep from throwing up, and he carries me quickly into a bathroom and sets me down on the ground in front of the toilet. He rubs my back as I lean over and after a few seconds I end up retching into the toilet, feeling ill and exhausted and upset. He holds my hair away from my face and hums soothing sounds into my ear as I continue emptying out my stomach, and when I finish, I lean back, shaking uncontrollably.

Percy wraps me in his arms as my body racks with silent sobs, and I wrap my arms around his neck, hiding my face in his shoulder and clinging to him for dear life. After a few minutes he lifts me up and I rinse my mouth, then pull my hair back into a messy ponytail and lean against the sink.

"Annabeth, what happened?" Percy asks softly.

"I woke up and I felt really sick..."

"How's your bruises?"

"That was it. Everything hurt so badly and then I got a migraine so I got up to go find you and here we are."

"Oh."

Percy kisses my cheek after a few seconds and stokes stray hairs away from my face.

"How are you feeling now?" he asks.

I shrug. Everything hurts, but I can't tell him that. "A little better."

He must realize I'm faking, because he looks at me like a mother would look at her child when they do something wrong.

"Come here," he says, and opens his arms wide.

I step closer to him and lean into his chest, wrapping my arms around his torso and pulling closer until there is no closer. He wraps his arms around my narrow, fragile frame, careful of my injuries, and kisses my clammy forehead. After a few minutes, he picks me up and carries me somewhere, and the next thing I know, we're lying on something extremely soft. Above me, I can see the night sky dotted with twinkling stars, and I can feel cool air wrapping around my sweaty skin. Percy wraps his arm around my waist and I lean my head on his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat soothing me as his strong arms protect me from harm.

My favorite thing about the night was always the stars. It always will be. After I started dating Luke and he started hitting me, I would go outside at night and stare at the stars, finding constellations and the brightest stars, and counting as many stars as I could. I told myself that the number of stars I counted each night was the number of days I would have to wait until I could get away from Luke, away from his words and his looks and his touch, the way he hits me and tells me I'm useless.

I guess I'm being saved sooner than I thought.

**Maybe a bit of a filler? I don't know. And I'm sorry for it being so short. But I seriously love the ending on this. A lot. Please tell me what you think in your reviews, and thank you so much for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Oh, look! THREE CHAPTERS IN A ROW?! Wow, you guys must love me so much, right! Well, this chapter is going to be short. And the next one will be too. I have a warning for the next chapter though. PLOT TWIST. LIKE HUUUUGE MEGA EXTRAORDINARY PLOT TWIST. Read at your own risk, people. And the reason the next chapter will be short is not from lack of idea, but because I feel that what I put in that chapter is all it needed. Nothing more, nothing less. It has just enough to make its point. So good luck. I'll be updating it immediately after this one, which will bring you up to FOUR UPDATES IN A ROW before I have to start writing again. Buh-bam. So here we go!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the PJO/HOO characters or books. All rights to Rick Riordan.**

**-Blair**

**Chapter 6 **

**Annabeth's POV**

I wake up the next morning to the sun in my eyes and cool morning air surrounding me. I sit up and feel dizzy, then realize that I'm out on a balcony with Percy, and I remember everything that happened yesterday.

Percy is still sound asleep beside me, and I'm afraid to wake him. He looks so peaceful, adorable, innocent.

I stare at him for a few moments and lay back down next to him. The mattress that must be out here, in a corner of the balcony, for this reason, 'sleeping under the stars' is surprisingly comfortable, like I could curl up in it and have it engulf me completely and take all my worries away.

I continue staring at Percy and begin running my fingers through his soft hair, brushing the little pieces that hang in his eyes away. I'm taken by surprise when he grabs my wrist lightly and brings it to his cheek, holding it there and pulling me against him in a tight hug that I can't seem to get out of. He kisses my forehead and I lay there with him, tired.

"Good morning, beautiful," he murmurs into my hair.

My heart skips a beat and for some reason tears well up in my eyes. No one has ever woken up with me and told me that. One, I'm not beautiful. And two, Luke is- was, hopefully- my first boyfriend, and well, we all know he wouldn't even send a wake up text with that, much less even say good morning.

I blink away the tears and reply, "Good morning."

Then I realize, it's the morning, and I wasn't home at all yesterday, and what is it today, anyway? Is it a school day?

Shoot.

I jolt up out of his grip and sit up. "Percy, what's today? Oh god, my parents are going to kill me. And school, oh no-"

Percy laughs. "It's okay, Annabeth. It's Saturday. You can relax."

I feel my face heat up. "Oh."

Percy chuckles and he lifts himself up to sit next to me. He casually wraps his arm around my shoulder and kisses my cheek softly. "What do you want to do today?"

I shrug. "My parents are probably wondering where I am."

"No need to worry about that, sweetie," a new voice says from behind us.

Percy and I turn around to see Sally standing at the sliding glass door, smiling at us. "I called your parents, and I know you'll hate me for this, but I told them everything."

"What?!" I screech, standing up, causing pain to stab my side. "You didn't! You can't! It's.. It's.. I.."

"Sweetheart, it's already done. They needed to know. There was no excuse for this."

Tears burn my eyes again and I try blinking them away, but they spill down my cheeks. "They're so mad..." I whisper, my voice raspy and terrified, covering my face with my hands.

"No, no, sweetie, no they aren't mad. They're worried about you. They care. They could never be mad," Sally's smooth, soothing voice says, and she hugs me. "They wanted you to stay here for a little while. There's been an emergency with your grandmother, and they called me last night, telling me to keep you here. They don't know when they'll be back, but they promised to keep us updated."

"How do you know their number? How do they know yours? How do they know you? Or how I'd be here?"

"I was friends with your dad when we were young. He was like my big brother. I looked through my old phone books and found his number, and called him while I was out and told him everything. Later on he called me to tell us they had to go."

"Oh..."

"I know. Surprising," she laughs.

Needless to say, we spend the rest of the day playing board games together and eating food, me in an oversized t-shirt of Percy's that goes down to my knees, and the others in pajamas. Before I know it, night has come and I'm climbing into Percy's bed, his fingers stroking my hair, and we're drifting off to sleep, yet again, happy.

**TA-DA! Hope you liked it, sorry for the short chappie. Please review! Next chapter is up next. BEWARE!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hellloooo again. So this is my last update for today, until I have to start writing for the next chapter. Hopefully you find this like: WOAH OMFG. xD If not, oh well. Please say what you think in the reviews. There is some language and other stuff here, but nothing too descriptive. Here we go!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO/HOO books or characters. Rick Riordan does.**

**-Blair**

**Chapter 9**

**Thalia's POV**

I pry his lips off mine, and the separation makes a loud _smack_.

"You're an asshole!" I screech, punching his shoulder as hard as I could. And I'll tell you, it's pretty hard, cause he backs off for a second and looks like he's in pain. Yes, I can beat up anyone I want. I have that strength. Usually. "I can't believe you!"

"Aw, come on baby, she means nothing compared to you," he says sweetly, too sweet, like dripping honey. It makes me sick.

"Don't touch me," I snap, pushing him away with strong force. "I can't believe you were cheating on me. Oh wait, _are_ cheating on me! Or maybe, you had her before you came to me, and I'm your little mistress." I poke his shoulder accusingly, and that thought makes me feel ill.

"Look, she's just for fun. I rarely even kiss her. I just like playing around with her, hit her a few times, show her some pain."

I look at him in disgust. What have I gotten myself into? And now, I can't even get myself out. To think I actually loved this guy some point in my life. "Stay. Away."

"Baby, come on," he reaches for my wrist, but I shove him away. "You're the one I care about."

"You lie. If you cared about me, you wouldn't be _sharing_ yourself with someone else. You're supposed to be mine, I'm supposed to be yours."

"And you are mine," he says, and I hear the venom in his voice, the threat. I can hear it, and it makes me scared. And I'm never scared. "And I'm yours," he adds quickly, putting on that sweet sugary façade again. But it's too late. I've seen inside. "I just like to take my anger out on something."

"Something?! She's a _someone_! You are a monster, Luke Castellan. A _monster,_" I say firmly, rushing out of his room, but I hear him follow. He won't give up will he?

"Well, you're one to talk," he teases.

That's it.

I spin around, gritting my teeth. "Don't go there. _Don't_. I only hurt someone when it's really bad, and they've provoked it. I don't do it for fun, for my pleasure. I don't do it to an innocent person who just wants to be loved and cared for. I don't do it the way you do."

I must've ticked him off, because he latches onto my wrist with a stone hard expression, and I pull back quickly. I turn my back to him and start walking away, hoping I can get away. But he grabs my wrist again, roughly turning me towards him.

"Let. Go. Of. Me," I hiss in his face.

"Would you just relax?!"

"No, I won't-" I start, but he covers my mouth with his hand and shoves me against the wall. I struggle under his grip, but he keeps me secured.

"I said _relax_. Now let me play. Or otherwise, you and little Anna can switch places."

Ha. Like I care. I wriggle and try to get away, but he's too strong for me, which is rare. He holds me tight, moving his lips down my neck, sucking on my skin. Disgust fills me and I have the sudden urge to throw up the contents of the little food I ate today.

But I can't get away.

I'm stuck.

Shit.

If I could scream, I would. If I could kick, I would, if I could punch, I would.

But he has me down.

And I can't do any of those things.

And I've never been so scared in my life.

I am Thalia Grace.

And I am afraid.

Terrified.

And I can't even fight back, which is my natural ability.

Help.

But soon enough, I'm somehow handcuffed to the bed. And I'm forced to lay there while Luke Castellan gets what he wants, yet again.

Now I wish I _could_ change places with that Annabeth.

**Well, that's that. Hope you liked it, tell me what you think. And this time, tell me what your predictions are. I also enjoy feedback and suggestions. Thank you for reading!**


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